Batura

This is one of my mum-in laws recipes. The batura's are very easy to make and the best part is, if you have left overs you can store them in an air tight box in the fridge and they stay soft. You just need to microwave before you serve them again!

Ingredients

• All purpose flour (Madia) - 2 cups
• Egg -1
• Oil -2 tbsp
• Curd/Yoghurt -1 tbsp
• Soda bicarbonate -1 pinch
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Sugar - 2 tsp
• Instant yeast -1 pinch
• Milk -1/2 cup

Method

1. Put the flour into a bowl.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour heap and put in all the above mentioned ingredients.
3. Make a soft dough and knead well until smooth.
4. Smear the dough with a little oil, cover with a wet kitchen towel and leave it to rise in a warm place.
5.  In case the weather is not warm enough, you could pre-heat the oven to 30 Deg C, switch it off and then leave the dough inside for rising. (4-6 hours) 
6. When the dough is ready, make small balls and roll out flat using a rolling pin. Don't roll it out too thin. You can alter the size of the batura's as per the size of your frying pan. 
7. Fill a frying pan with oil, heat well and once the oil is hot, then deep fry the batura's and drain on a kitchen towel.
8. If you want to make it faster you can add a little bit more yeast while making the dough.

Butter Garlic Tiger Prawns

Ingredients

• Tiger prawns - 4
• Garlic cloves - 2
• Butter - 2 tbsp
• Cream - 3 tbsp
• Freshly ground pepper -  To taste
• Salt -  To taste
• Parsley - A  small bunch, chopped

Method

1. Put the butter and garlic in the blender and grind.
2. In a non-stick pan heat butter and garlic mixture. Once the butter has melted, add the prawns and stir well.
3. Stir fry until the prawns are pink (about 5- 6 minutes). Do not over cook.
4. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.Add the cream and mix well. 
5. Garnish with chopped parsley.
6. Serve at once.

Simple Chicken Biryani

This is a simple chicken biryani recipe where the biryani is cooked in the pressure cooker.  After experimenting with a lot of recipes I have come up with this recipe and find it works beautifully. So when I don't feel up to making the elaborate biryani, I go for this and find most people like this as much as the layered more elaborate biryani.

Ingredients

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Chicken - 1/2kg (cut into medium size pieces)
• Onions -4 sliced
• Tomato -4 chopped
• Curd/Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Mint leaves - 1/2 a bunch
• Coriander leaves - a bunch
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala  powder- 1 tsp
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Cloves - 4
• Green cardamom - 4
• Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste - 4 tsp
• Cashew nuts -10
• Poppy seeds - 1tbsp
• Ghee/oil- 1/2 cup
• Green chillies -6 chopped
• Eggs - 4 boiled
• Salt - To taste

Method

1. Marinate the chicken in curd/yogurt, salt and garam masala powder for atleast 1hr (preferably overnight).
2. Pressure cook chicken for 1 whistle and then let it cook for about 7 minutes on low heat. Keep aside.
3. Soak the basmati rice in water for 15 minutes. Then drain and keep aside.
4. Put non-stick pan on the fire, add about 1tbsp of ghee and fry the drained rice till dry.
5. Heat oil/ghee in a non-stick pan, add spices - cloves, cardamom, cinnamon powder. Add the onions and fry till onions start to turn golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, chopped tomato, chopped green chillies. Fry till tomato is cooked. 
6. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves, turmeric powder, chilly powder and fry till oil separates.
7. Grind together cashew nuts & poppy seeds. Mix the cashew nut and poppy seeds into the frying masala.
8. Add the partially cooked chicken to the masala and mix for a few minutes till chicken is well coated.
9. Transfer contents to pressure cooker.
10. Add the rice and  salt.
11. Add 4 cups of water to the cooker contents.
12. Cover the pressure cooker and cook until you hear one whistle.
13. Remove the pressure cooker from the gas and let it cool before opening. The cooker needs to cool for atleast 30 minutes before opening. This is to ensure that the rice cooks well. The rice cooks with the steam trapped in the cooker so it is important to let it cool with the weight on and the steam trapped inside.
14. Place 4 eggs in a saucepan filed with water. Once the water starts to boil, lower the flame and let the eggs cook for 10 minutes.
15. Take pan of eggs off the fire and plunge eggs into cold water.
16. When the eggs cool, peel and slice in half and sprinkle with salt.
17. Once biryani is ready decorate with sliced eggs and serve!